The conversion of the kerogen of oil shale to oil-like products has long been desired. This conversion is now technically but not economically feasible by the process of distructive distillation, or retorting. In retorting, the kerogen molecules are believed to be cracked from attachment to inorganic matter of the shale to form heavy, highly unsaturated, highly viscous fluids. These fluids must be further processed as by further cracking, hydrocracking, hydrogenation, or otherwise, including means to remove sulfur compounds, to obtain useable products. The very high temperatures required by retorting (about 800.degree. F. to 1500.degree. F.) and the apparatus thereby required, and in addition the additional refining necessary, makes the process economically unattractive.
An object of the invention is to provide a novel process for converting the kerogen of shale to valuable oil products in a facile and economical manner.
A further object is to provide a process for converting kerogen to oils having little or no sulfur content.
A still further object is to provide a process for converting kerogen directly to valuable oleaginous products boiling largely in the lubricating oil or gas oil range.
In an embodiment of the invention, shale particles are dried, mixed with hydrogen at an elevated pressure, and the mixture subjected to wave energy in the microwave range. Under the influence of the microwaves, the kerogen is split from inorganic matter and the sulfur present converted to hydrogen sulfide so that substantially sulfur-free, relatively saturated oleaginous products are obtained. Reference is made to my co-pending patent application Ser. No. 831,170, filed Sept. 7, 1977 which is directed to the use of coal in a similar process in which sulfur is removed from coal by the formation of hydrogen sulfide.